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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: No Longer Holding Back
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The classroom was rowdy from the morning.
"Hey! This is huge. Did you hear?"
One girl turned to her friend in the back seat.
"What?"
"Han Cho-hee's mom and dad got divorced."
"Really?"
A parents' divorce has nothing to do with their kids.
But people still gave them all sorts of looks.
The first was pity, and the second was mockery disguised as pity.
"Yeah. And it was her dad who cheated."
"No way."
"But I'm not surprised. You can tell from the videos her personality is no joke. How fed up must he have been to run off?"
"Man, Han Cho-hee is so pitiful. She must be so obsessed with guys because she never got love from her dad."
For some, it was agony enough to ruin their appetite and sleep.
For others, it was just juicy gossip.
A-jin nearly slammed her desk and shot to her feet.
She nearly marched over and demanded they stop talking shit.
A-jin hesitated, wondering if she should.
"It's your own fault. You were such a bitch to me."
A-jin clenched her fist.
She felt stupid for hurting over Cho-hee.
"Hey! Kang A-jin."
Just then, Cho-hee burst in through the front door.
* * *
To avoid the kids, Cho-hee and A-jin went to the bathroom.
A-jin had suggested the bathroom.
The stares aimed at her were overwhelming.
"Is this what you were waiting for?"
Cho-hee demanded.
"What?"
The question came out of nowhere, leaving A-jin baffled.
"You. You're the one who spread the rumor about my mom divorcing. You must have been itching for this. How long have you wanted to screw me over?"
"Who said that? Me?"
"You overheard my call in front of the bathroom that day."
"'Overheard?' You're so sure it was me?"
"Then who else was there besides you?"
"I did go into the bathroom, but I never heard your call."
"Yeah, right."
Cho-hee twisted her lips and smirked, cheeks scrunching.
A-jin felt not just anger but pity for this girl who refused to reflect.
"I'm bummed too. That I didn't spread it first. Who got the rumor out so fast? Wish you'd tipped me off. I was so disappointed when I heard this morning."
"You psycho bitch. Kang A-jin, you've really leveled up. You can say shit like that now."
"Yeah. I thought all the time with you was wasted, but looks like I learned something. How to be a total bitch."
"You little—"
Enraged, Cho-hee advanced on A-jin threateningly.
A-jin flinched at the provocation but held her ground.
"You think I'll just let this slide? I've been quiet lately, so you think I'm a pushover? You have no idea what I'll do next."
"What? Ask your big brothers again?"
"I can do anything. What should I dress you up in this time?"
She really was the worst kind of person.
How had she hidden that viciousness for five years?
A-jin was almost awed by Cho-hee's two-faced nature.
"I'm reporting it."
"What?"
"I was gonna let it go for old times' sake, but seeing you like this? No way. I'm reporting those guys."
Cho-hee flinched for a split second.
A-jin felt a smug satisfaction—her threat had landed.
"Do it. But what are you reporting them for?"
"Sexual assault. False imprisonment. And..."
What charge to pin on Cho-hee?
Deception, betrayal—maybe emotional distress would fit best.
"Report it? Even if those guys get caught, what about me? I have no evidence. And if you report sexual assault, guess who ends up with the weird rumors? You. How'd you get assaulted? What were you wearing? Got photos? That's all kids care about."
Cho-hee smirked, lips curling smugly.
A-jin itched to punch that infuriating, loathsome cheek.
"Now I get why your mom divorced. You have the exact same personality."
She knew she shouldn't say it, but maybe A-jin could throw some vicious words at Cho-hee for once?
She'd learned from the best, after all.
Seemed like she'd learned well.
Cho-hee's smirking face turned ice-cold in an instant.
Cold turned to chilling.
Blood vessels stood out in her glaring eyes.
"You... bitch!"
Cho-hee grabbed A-jin's hair.
A-jin lost her balance and staggered as her hair was yanked.
Cho-hee dragged her straight into a stall and shoved her in.
"Kyaa! Ack!"
A-jin's stomach slammed into the toilet as she fell.
Cho-hee slammed the door shut, and A-jin scrambled up to open it.
But Cho-hee blocked it with her body.
"What are you doing?! Open the door!"
A-jin pounded on the door, yelling.
"Don't get too happy about people talking about me. If I want, I can make it so you never show your face at school again."
"Han Cho-hee! Why are you doing this to me? Open the door! Open it!"
A-jin's head spun.
Terror surged in.
Locked in the bathroom.
Trapped in the changing room, unable to come out.
Past and present overlapped in memory.
Just like that waterlogged place back then, like the changing room where she'd feared the men outside.
A-jin wailed.
"Please, open the door. Please!"
"You're perfect for a place like that. Dirty and shady. You should end up like me. You don't get to be happy alone."
"Han Cho-hee, you're insane! Open it! Open this door! Hic. Sob. Please, Cho-hee."
A-jin screamed for help.
She shrieked and pleaded.
She prayed desperately that someone outside would hear and save her.
"What the hell are you doing!"
A loud voice came from outside.
The door banged open.
A-jin wiped her tear-blurred eyes with her sleeve and looked out.
Jun-woo had come.
"Come on out."
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the stall.
A-jin was simply grateful for his arrival, but Jun-woo regretted not coming sooner.
When Han Cho-hee came looking for her in class, A-jin wasn't there.
Jong-min had texted late, so he went searching.
Hearing the noise, he barged into the girls' bathroom.
Cho-hee was blocking the door, and A-jin was sobbing inside.
Terror laced her voice.
He shoved Cho-hee away with all his strength.
She slid across the bathroom tiles.
He felt zero remorse.
If anything, he was furious he couldn't hit her just because she was a girl.
Seeing A-jin's state fueled his rage even more.
"I should've made sure you never came near her again. How far are you gonna take this?!"
He bellowed.
He even stepped forward aggressively.
If A-jin hadn't blocked him, he might have actually swung.
"I'll handle it. I'll take care of it."
A-jin's hand trembled as she held him back.
"How are you gonna handle it?"
"I can. I'll handle it. You stay out of it."
She pleaded desperately.
He couldn't trust her—especially after she'd taken this while he looked away—but her earnest eyes made him step back.
"This is your last warning. Touch her again, and I won't hold back."
He warned Cho-hee one final time, then led A-jin out of the bathroom.
Left alone, Cho-hee couldn't stand.
Hollow and empty, she just let out a hollow laugh.
They were gone, but the contemptuous, furious stares lingered.
Cho-hee's dazed expression held no hope.
* * *
With one period left, A-jin went to Cho-hee's classroom.
She carried a bucket of water.
As A-jin stood in front of Cho-hee's desk, Cho-hee looked up.
Her face said, 'What?'
A-jin's was blank.
She stared down expressionlessly, then dumped the bucket over Cho-hee's head.
Cho-hee got drenched, and the kids around screamed.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
"Who the hell are you? This is our class!"
The classmates confronted A-jin, but she said nothing.
Cho-hee said nothing either.
Her face was strangely serene.
She swept water from her face with her palm and wrung out her hair.
Maybe she'd seen this coming.
After shaking off the water, Cho-hee glared up at A-jin.
"So this is you 'handling it'?"
"This is just the start. Touch me again, and I'll touch you back. Hurt me, and I'll hurt you. I'm not taking it lying down anymore. No more holding back."
"Childish."
"Like someone else I know. I was gonna let it go because you seemed pitiful, but I can't overlook it when others get hurt."
Envy flickered in Cho-hee's eyes.
She envied Jun-woo behind A-jin.
It made her hate A-jin more.
"So you dumped water on me."
"You've done so much, I doubt I can pay it all back, but this is for earlier."
"For someone who bawled her eyes out in fear, acting tough now."
Cho-hee sneered disdainfully.
"And I really didn't spread the rumor. Look into it again. Won't make it go away, but still."
A-jin left Cho-hee's classroom with the empty bucket.
She tensed, half-expecting Cho-hee to grab her hair again, but Cho-hee neither stopped nor called her.
Tears welled up again.
A-jin shook her head, refusing to cry.
* * *
Jong-min tossed his phone above his head in frustration and sprawled on the bed like an X.
"Kim Sun-ho, that bastard."
"Not going?"
Jun-woo, sitting at the desk, looked pityingly at Jong-min lounging on his bed.
"Why do I always lose when it's just us?"
"Not going?"
"I'm crashing at your place tonight?"
Jun-woo gave him a what-the-hell look.
"I got kicked out because of my sister. Gotta lay low for a day."
"And? You're bringing him here to sleep?"
Jun-woo glanced at Mini, curled up in a ball on the floor.
The kitten Jong-min had brought.
"No, they won't let me keep Min-young at home."
He'd saved a cat and ended up dating the girl because of it.
"Your sister has a cat allergy, right?"
"Not my problem. Damn. Lost again. Again!"
Jong-min flung his phone overhead once more.
Jun-woo just stared at him pitifully.
Then his phone rang.
The call he'd been waiting for.
Jun-woo answered quickly.
"Hello?"
*-It's me.*
"Yeah. You done?"
*-Yeah.*
That afternoon, A-jin and Cho-hee had separate meetings with Ga Kyung-hee and Jin Mi.
Neither explained in detail, frustrating the teachers.
They tried mediating but gave up and ended with reflection essays.
"Coming to school?"
*-Nah. On the bus. I'll text when I get home. Can I crash early tonight?*
"Yeah."
She must be exhausted.
Jun-woo replied tenderly.
He hung up, regretting the short call.
"Sigh."
Jong-min sighed, eyes half-mooned in a flip.
"What?"
"If you're so worried, why not just wait at school?"
"Didn't want to burden her."
"So you came home thinking Han Cho-hee might pull something?"
"......"
He had been anxious.
But like she'd said, he thought she deserved a chance to handle it herself.
Jun-woo cautiously asked Jong-min, now back to his game.
"How... do you cheer up a girl in a bad mood?"
"What kind of mood?"
"When girls are upset."
Jong-min paused his game at the love advice request.
For once, he felt superior to Jun-woo and ditched the game.
He put on an arrogant face and spoke.
"No clue if you'll do it right even if I tell you, but from this big bro's experience..."
Jong-min's smug expression was annoying, but Jun-woo had no one else.
He listened humbly to the lecture.
